Gov. Rick Scott may shift stance on health reform law




















With the reelection of President Barack Obama, Florida’s Republican leaders are reconsidering their fervent opposition to federal healthcare reform, triggering a discussion that could have huge repercussions for South Florida.

At stake is more than $6 billion in federal funding for Miami-Dade and Broward over the next decade and the possibility of health insurance for a large percentage of the 1.4 million people in the two counties who now lack coverage.

After the defeat of Mitt Romney, who vowed to halt Obama’s healthcare overhaul, the Republican leaders of the Florida House and Senate quickly said the Legislature needed to reexamine the federal act. On Friday evening, Gov. Rick Scott said he agreed there needed to be a discussion.





“Just saying ‘no’ is not an answer,” Scott said in a statement that repeated exactly what Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Destin, the incoming Senate president, told The Miami Herald on Thursday.

“I don’t like this law,” Gaetz also said, “but this is the law, and I believe I have a constitutional obligation to carry it out.” He added that he thinks “there needs to be some adult debate between Republicans and Democrats” on finding ways to make the law work.

Still, Gaetz, Scott and others in the Republican leadership, which controls both the Florida House and Senate, have many criticisms of what both parties now call “Obamacare.” Some are searching for compromises on how it is carried out in the state. What this means for patients and the healthcare industry in Florida — particularly South Florida — remains an enormous question mark.

Time is running short for decisions as the once-distant consequences of the Affordable Care Act are scheduled to kick in during the next 14 months.

The first deadline is Friday. That’s when states must tell Washington whether they plan to set up exchanges — marketplaces where individuals can purchase insurance at discounted group rates and cannot be denied because of pre-existing conditions.

Florida’s political leaders acknowledge they won’t make the deadline. The exchanges are scheduled to start Jan. 1, 2014, and if a state doesn’t set up an exchange, its residents can participate in a federal exchange.

The next provision starts Jan. 1 with an increase in Medicaid fees for primary care physicians. Primary care physicians, who have long complained about low rates for Medicaid, which provides coverage for the poor, are scheduled to be paid at considerably higher Medicare rates — with the feds picking up all of the added cost. But such a pay hike can only happen with the approval of the governor and Legislature, and it’s unclear whether that will happen.

The following year, on Jan. 1, 2014, the biggest changes are slated to start, including a major expansion of people covered by Medicaid. An analysis from the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida shows that if the state doesn’t expand coverage, Florida will lose $27.9 billion in federal funds over 10 years.

That breaks down to a $4.5 billion loss for Miami-Dade during that time, and a $2.3 billion loss for Broward, according to the alliance’s analysis.

Under the law, Washington will pay all Medicaid expansion costs for the first three years, but then the states would have to pay up to 10 percent of the costs in following years — an expense that the Safety Net Alliance calculates will come to $1.7 billion over 10 years in Florida. The expansion could provide coverage to an additional million-plus Floridians. Reform supporters say the expansion would provide cheaper basic care that would help prevent serious illnesses that lead to expensive hospital stays.





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Weather alert: Weekend will be cool and breezy




















Cool weather will continue Saturday in South Florida with breezy conditions and low temperatures dipping below 70. Highs will be in the mid-70s.

On Sunday, forecasters expect the start of a warming trend, with highs near 80 and a low of about 70.

Monday will bring more breezes and partly sunny skies, with a high of 79 degrees and a 20 percent chance of rain after 8 a.m.





For up-to-date forecasts and maps, click here.





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Google says multiple services blocked in China
















SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Google Inc said several of its online services have been blocked in China.


Traffic to Google’s services in China dropped sharply beginning Friday evening there, according to an online “Transparency Report” website operated by Google, which provides updates about access to its services in different parts of the world.













Among the sites affected were Google’s search engine and its Gmail web email product.


The disruptions come as China’s once-in-a-decade meeting to appoint new leadership gets underway.


A Google spokeswoman said the company did not know why the disruption was happening. Google said in a statement that it had “checked and there’s nothing wrong on our end.”


Google’s YouTube video service has been inaccessible in China since 2009, while access to other services in China are blocked sporadically.


In 2010 Google relocated its Chinese search engine to Hong Kong after a spat with authorities over censorship and cyber-attacks that Google said originated in China.


(Reporting By Alexei Oreskovic; editing by John Wallace)


Tech News Headlines – Yahoo! News



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Buzzmakers: Brooke's Cancer Fight & World War Z

What had ET readers buzzing this week?

1. It's Brad vs. Zombies in World War Z

Zombie attack!!! Brad Pitt plays a family man and United Nations employee who faces a deadly zombie pandemic in World War Z -- we gave you an exclusive first look and now we've got the intense trailer!

Just when you thought that the zombie genre may be starting to generate less screams and more Zzzz's, World War Z arrives with an adrenaline shot in the arm for the genre -- complete with insane special effects and a claustrophobic urgency and realism not seen since the introduction of those "speed zombies" in 28 Days Later.

Directed by Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace), World War Z invades theaters June 21, 2013.

2. Oprah Reveals Her 2012 'Favorite Things'

It's officially the holiday season!

Oprah just revealed her "Favorite Things" for 2012, which includes such items as a $1,800 Jetson E-Bike, a $192 hand-picked Tom Ford lipstick palette and a $238 Lafco soap set.

"This luxuriously oversize, deliciously scented soap is my new go-to gift. I even brought a set to Mr. and Mrs. Colbert when I interviewed Stephen for Next Chapter," she says about the pricey soap set.

But of course if you don't have the income of Oprah, you can pick up O's December issue to learn how you can win all 49 of Oprah's favorite things, which hits newsstands November 6.

"Oprah's Favorite Things" is also getting its own two-hour, prime time special airing Nov. 18 on OWN. The special will surprise unsuspecting military spouses with items from the media mogul's exclusive must-have gift selections for the holiday season, and for the first time, viewers of Oprah's Favorite Things: 2012 will have the opportunity to watch and win select items featured in each segment of the show.

3. Brooke Burke-Charvet Reveals Cancer Diagnosis

Brooke Burke-Charvet released a video online Thursday to announce that she was recently diagnosed with a cancerous growth on her thyroid gland. In the video posted on her Modern Mom blog, the 41-year-old actress and TV host explained that a nodule was discovered on her thyroid and after a series of tests over the last few months, it was eventually determined to be cancerous and her thyroid will have to be removed.

"Which means that I'm going to have a nice big scar right her across my neck," Brooke said. "And I don't get to just walk around and pretend like nothing happened or not follow up or not share it, because it's going to be pretty much dead center."

Brooke said the discovery -- which originated from a regular physical -- came as a complete shock because she's otherwise healthy. "As crazy as it is, my head is in the right place, and it's going to be good," she said, adding that the doctors consider this a form of "good cancer" compared to many others and the prognosis is good. "I'm just going to make a positive out of this negative thing."

She said the surgery has been scheduled and she promised to keep her fans updated through her blog. "Now I'm ready to deal with it and I'm going to be fine. And I feel really, really strong."

Speaking on Thursday's episode of The Talk, Brooke's co-host on Dancing with the Stars, Tom Bergeron, commented on her cancer diagnosis. "My love and support are with you -- we are all there with her," he said. Bergeron added that he personally has a very positive outlook. "I've known about this for a few months. I have had experience with this in my family. You never want to hear the word cancer. But thyroid cancer is one of the most treatable cancers. It has an incredibly high success rate."

4. Kirstie on Secret Relationship with Swayze

Kirstie Alley reveals to ET's Chris Jacobs intimate details about what she says was a powerful attraction and hidden relationship with her North and South co-star, Patrick Swayze. Although both stars were married during filming of the mini-series, Alley tells Jacobs when she first saw Swayze, they had an intense attraction and she tried to avoid "going down that road," but they ultimately fell in love.

"Both of us were married. We did not have an affair. But again, I think what I did was worse. Because I think when you fall in love with someone when you're married, you jeopardize your own marriage and their marriage. It's doubly bad," said Alley.

Alley goes on to say that although she's friends with Patrick's wife, Lisa Niemi, who asked Alley to speak at Swayze's funeral, she is uncertain if Lisa is aware of their relationship.

5. One Direction & Drew Brees Play Catch - Exclusive

One Direction and Drew Brees teamed up last month to film an adorable Pepsi spot and during Thursday night's episode of The X Factor, the band will not only perform their newest singles, Live While We're Young and Little Things, but also reveal an alternate ending to the ad!

For those who missed the spot, the original ended with Drew Brees sacrificing his last can of Pepsi in order to become an unofficial member of One Direction. But, according to Angelique Krembs, VP Marketing for Pepsi, they also wanted to show fans what would happen if Drew won the last can of Pepsi. "Our latest Live For Now spot has received an enormous amount of buzz and online excitement," Krembs said. "And of course everyone wants to see the boys from 1D suit up in football gear and have some fun."

While you have to wait until Thursday to see the entire surprise ending to Pepsi's Live For Now television commercial, ETonline scored an exclusive sneak peek of One Direction tossing the pigskin around with Brees!

Tune in to The X Factor on November 8 at 8 p.m. to see the alternate ending!

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Manhattan Mini-Storage customers upset after belongings ruined by Hurricane Sandy








Workers dump storm-damaged items being stored at Manhattan Mini-Storage

Robert Miller

Workers dump storm-damaged items being stored at Manhattan Mini-Storage



These customers have been left high — and wet.

People renting lockers from two Manhattan Mini-Storage facilities in Chelsea not only discovered their belongings ruined by Hurricane Sandy — they found their moldy possessions kicked to the curb.

“The continued presence of these items in the building now represents an immediate health and safety threat as well as an obstacle to our ability to completely address and eliminate the hazard,” Mini-Storage told customers in an email late last week.





Robert Miller



Mira Chang in tears





“Accordingly, we are now undertaking actions to evacuate the contents of all storage rooms in the basements of these two buildings,” the letter reads.

The news reduced some customers to tears.

“The only thing I care about was my entire life of writing,” said a tearful Mira Chang, 40, a film producer who paid about $90 a month to keep an archive of her work at the West 21st Street building. The other facility was also on West 21st Street.

Customers said the company didn’t notify them of any damage until a week after the storm and closed early as the monstrous cyclone approached.

“I realized all of that was gone — it’s toxic down there and so I don’t know if it’s even safe to bring it up. You go down there with a mask and you can’t even breathe” Chang said.

Ellen Hains, 48 said she lost everything from her grandmother’s 100-year-old chest to 20 pairs of shoes — now reduced to a moldy mess.

Customers like Hains and Chang— whose lockers were in the flooded basement — were distraught.

“I’m traumatized,” Hains said.

Harris said she was told the company may not be able to reimburse customers because the flooding “was an act of God.”

Facility employees refused to talk to The Post, and the company did not return a request for comment.










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Terra Group plans single-family development in Doral with modern architecture




















Terra Group expects to break ground soon on a major mixed-use development in Doral, including 300 single-family homes and a grocery-anchored shopping center.

Separately, the Miami developer said it recently acquired four parcels on the edge of Miami’s Midtown/Design District near 36th Street and Biscayne Boulevard through Terra Skylar Investments, a new venture formed with partners Avra Jain and Joseph Del Vecchio, giving it a foothold in a rapidly emerging hotspot.

The Doral Commons project — which will span more than 90 acres between Northwest 97th Avenue and Northwest 107th Avenue on the north side of 74th Street — will be the first project to break with the Mediterranean-style architecture for which the city is known.





“We’re going to be doing modern architecture for the first time in the city of Doral. We plan to have clean lines with a lot of glass. It will be very interesting architecture,” said David Martin, Terra’s president and chief operating officer.

The 3,000- to 4,000-square-foot homes planned for two gated communities will start in the $600,000s, with larger homes in the $1 million range.

Pascual, Perez, Kiliddjian & Associates will be the architect for the Doral project, Martin said.

Terra closed on the purchase of the Doral land from Flagler Development about two weeks ago.

Terra currently has three residential projects under way in Doral: Doral Cay, Vintage and Las Ramblas.

“The problem with Doral is the scarcity of land,” Martin said. “This is our last opportunity to develop something in Doral, and we want to do something design driven.”

He said the homes will feature more garage, storage and closet space than the standard fare.

On the retail side, the Doral project will include a 150,000-square-foot neighborhood shopping center featuring a supermarket and other retail, such as food and beverage, fashion along with some space for banks, Terra said. Courtelis Co. will handle leasing.

Meanwhile near the Midtown/Design District neighborhood, which is in the midst of major development plans, Terra Skylar acquired a 50,000-square-foot office building at 3550 Biscayne Boulevard and several nearby parcels.

For now, Martin said the plan is to maintain the office building with its current tenants. Metro One is handling the leasing. Plans for the undeveloped lots are still in the making but will probably include residential, retail or hospitality, Martin said.

“It’s really a key piece of that neighborhood,” said Martin, who described the area as “where Miami’s creative class of tomorrow wants to live, work and play.”





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Miami-Dade clerk sentenced to seven years in crowbar killing




















A South Miami-Dade store clerk who hit a customer with a crowbar, killing him, pleaded guilty Friday to manslaughter and will serve seven years in prison.

Ragheb Sulaiman, 26, was initially charged with second-degree murder in November 2010 after police said he hit Akil LaRue Oliver at the Quick Shop Food Store, 9720 SW 168th St.

Oliver’s family agreed to the plea deal in a case that had roiled the West Perrine neighborhood. At an emotional hearing Friday, Sulaiman apologized to Oliver’s family, and both families hugged afterward.





“A just resolution to a true human tragedy,” said Sulaiman’s attorney, Richard Sharpstein. “The forgiveness and reconciliation expressed between the families begins closure to an event that unnecessarily divided the community.”

Oliver, angered because he thought the store owner ``owed him a small amount of money,’’ hurled racial insults and expletives at the store clerks, according to an arrest affidavit.

Store customers, including an off-duty Miami-Dade corrections officer, tried to calm Oliver down. Still angry, he left the store.

But Oliver later came back, continuing to yell at the clerks. Sulaiman’s brother, Nabil Sulaiman, hit Oliver with a bottle, according to police.

As Oliver tried to defend himself, Ragheb Sulaiman picked up a crowbar, smashing it onto Oliver’s on the head, the arrest report said. Oliver died at the store. Store surveillance cameras captured part of the fight.

Nabil Sulaiman, charged with aggravated battery, fled the country and is considered a fugitive.





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Shameless Season Three Key Art Exclusive


First Look!


Life's not a fairytale for Fiona Gallagher, but Emmy Rossum certainly looks the part in this exclusive promo for the 2013 return of Showtime's sensational Shameless!

On January 13, The Gallagher Family returns for a third season of drinking, debauchery and endlessly enjoyable drama as everyone seeks out their idea of the "American Dream."

For Frank, that involves a brief foray into drug smuggling. For Fiona, it means domesticity with Jimmy. Meanwhile, fans are getting a dream of a guest star as Bradley Whitford joins the cast as Abraham, a powerful gay political activist.

Don't miss the Shameless premiere -- January 13, 2013 at 9 p.m. on Showtime -- to find out which Gallagher gets a happy ending!


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Calif. woman fired for calling Obama n-word, hoping for his assassination on Facebook (VIDEO)








TURLOCK, Calif. — A California woman has been fired and reported to the Secret Service for her President Barack Obama racial slur and assassination comment on Facebook.

The Modesto Bee says 22-year-old Denise Helms of Turlock posted the inflammatory comments on the social media site shortly after the president's re-election on Tuesday.

She used the n-word in referring to Obama and wrote that maybe he will be assassinated this term.

Helms then told a Sacramento TV station that she wouldn't mind a bit if someone assassinated Obama.

Helms was fired Thursday from her job at the Stone Cold Creamy store.




Store director Chris Kegle says the comments are disgusting.

Secret Service Agent Scott Gillingham in Sacramento says the incident is being investigated.

Threats against the president can lead to felony charges.

In an interview with Fox 40, Helms called the assassination comment "kinda harsh" but largely defended her post. Watch it below:










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Zillow: Foreclosure discounts shrinking




















Buying a foreclosed home is no longer the big bargain it used to be.

In South Florida, the discount for foreclosures narrowed to 2.9 percent below a comparable non-distressed home in September from 6.8 percent a year earlier, according to Zillow.

The foreclosure discount for the tri-county area of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties peaked in August 2008, when bank-owned homes fetched 22.7 percent less than non-distressed homes, the Seattle-based real-estate information firm said.





Nationwide, the foreclosure discount was 7.7 percent in September, down from 9.1 percent a year earlier, Zillow said. The widest gap nationally between foreclosed and non-distressed sales was 23.7 percent in September 2009.

“The smallest foreclosure discount is found in places where competition for homes is so high, people there are willing to pay the same amount for a foreclosure re-sale that they would for a non-distressed home simply to take advantage of historic affordability,” said Dr. Stan Humphries, Zillow’s chief economist.





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